Today was Venice!!! Our trip leader took us for a walking tour around Venice (thankfully she knew her way around!!) and then we went on a gondola ride (no not a little tiny glass bubble that gets pulled up a mountain but a little cute boat with the Italian guy standing on the back) we then watched a lace blowing demonstration and a glass blowing demonstration before having free time the rest of the afternoon. We wandered around Venice. Thankfully not too hot (a...

Today we drove from Rome to Venice and stopped in Verona on the way. As you may know Verona is where the famous Romeo and Juliet was based and also a few of Shakespeare's other plays as well. Our trip leader got us to reenact Romeo and Juliet so we all had a wee laugh about that. Then we saw Juliet's balcony and a bronze statue of her outside it and the little tunnel that leads there is covered with love notes from people proclaiming their love to one another....

Today we were up bright and early for our Vatican tour! Who knew that Vatican City was a whole separate country in the middle of Italy!!! The Sisteen Chapel was cool but slightly underwhelming. However St. Peter's Square was beautiful. So clean and relaxing. We then went on a Colosseum tour!! we were all geared up with our ear pieces and waiting to go but our guide didn't turn up :( we went in anyway and didn't have to wait in line which is good but would've ...

Today we drove to Rome via Orvieto. Wow if we thought Florence was warm Rome is ridiculous!!! But at least our hotel room has air conditioning this time!! In Rome we went on a walking tour and saw the Spanish Steps the Trevi Fountain (sadly under reconstruction) the Pantheon, the Roman forum and the colosseum. We had some Italian pizzas and went to a gelato shop that had over 150 flavours. (Chris and I tried 8 between us!) we have a competition going on our c...

The day started off with a walking tour of Florence followed by a leather demonstration. We then had some free time which we wandered around the city and sampled some different gelato flavours. The city is very European however I thought it would be more like the movies with beautiful landscape, little rustic houses with red roofs!! Not at all like that. The city is a bit dirty and very spread out and the Italians aren't particularly fond of pedestrians. In t...